1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to connections made between sections of corrugated pipe that are to be installed during construction and, more specifically, to an apparatus and method for stabilizing and strengthening the joint between two adjacent corrugated pipe sections against movement and disassociation while being installed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the art to use various apparatuses and methods to assist in stabilizing, strengthening and maintaining connections between pipes, corrugated and otherwise.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,091 to Boomgarden et at discloses a one-piece coupling connector for tubing wherein a bendable strap overlaps the joint between two pipe sections, includes retention pins on the interior of the strap for engaging the corrugations on the pipe, is equipped on one end with slots along the sides of which are teeth on the interior side of the strap member, and the other end includes a pair of tongues which correspond to and align with the slots when the bendable strap is wrapped around the joint to hold it in place.
Split sleeves are popular for this purpose as well. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,171,834 to Abner and U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,367 to Keeney et al. disclose simple devices which comprise split sleeves which fit around the overlap of adjacent ends of two sections of corrugated pipes. Tabs or teeth on the underside of the split sleeve are received within the corrugations of the pipe and serve to help secure the two pipe ends in jointed relationship. Means for fastening the ends of the sleeve around the corrugated pipe joint are provided.
In addition, devices to stabilize pipe joints which do not involve corrugated pipe and are not installed during construction have also been disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,862 discloses a clamping band around the overlap region of the pipe joint which can be tightened for clamping the pipes together, and a second band attached and around an inside pipe. The two bands are connected together with a linking bar to form a pipe coupling with improved pull-apart strength. And, there are other clamping devices that have been disclosed as evidenced by U.S. Pat. Nos. 455,967; 5,661,876; and 4,483,556 all of which operate, in general, by providing a device which is mounted on or placed on the outer surface of a pipe or hose in which a second pipe or fixture will be telescopically associated. These are mostly designed to be used with a flexible hose that is to be connected to a fixture. By tightening one of these devices on the outside of the flexible hose, the connection between it and a fixture can be stabilized as well as leak proofed.
The present invention differs from the above referenced inventions and others similar in that these prior devices do not provide a simple, disposable, and adjustable devices for providing axially aligned support for the joint of two corrugated pipe sections.
It is therefore one objective of the present invention to provide a simply constructed and simply used apparatus for stabilizing and strengthening the joint between two sections of corrugated pipe against the normal stresses of installation;
It is a second objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus for strengthening and stabilizing the joint between two sections of corrugated pipe that is fully adjustable to any diameter of pipe as well as adjustable with regard to the need for pull-apart strength;
It is a final objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the nature just described that is inexpensively manufactured and, therefore, intended to be left on the joint as it is installed in construction without intolerably increasing the cost of construction.
The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for strengthening and stabilizing a joint between two sections of corrugated pipe. The male end of a first section of corrugated pipe is associated with the female end of a second section of corrugated pipe to form a joint. The apparatus includes at least a first flexible member with two ends. The first flexible member is looped circumferentially around the first section of corrugated pipe and is secured against a corrugation by means for associating said first end with said second end and for tightening said flexible member circumferentially. A relatively long section of the flexible member is left unrestrained as a tail. The tail portion is then stretched across the joint and looped around and secured against a corrugation on the second section of the corrugated pipe. The remaining tail portion is then brought back a second time across said joint. Means for cinching the tail portion to the first end of the flexible member are provided such that an axially aligned support is formed by the tail portion stretched back and forth across the joint and cinched tightly.
It is desirable to have axially aligned supports circumferentially spaced apart across the joint. Such an arrangement provides more stability in the joint as the pipe sections and joint are being installed. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, there is a second flexible member. The first flexible member is looped circumferentially around the first corrugated pipe section and means for associating the first end with the second end are used to secure the first flexible member against a corrugation. As in the previous arrangement, a relatively long tail portion is left unrestrained. The second flexible member is looped circumferentially around the second pipe section and means for associating the first end with the second end are used to secure the second flexible member against a corrugation. In the same manner as described for the first flexible member, a second tail portion is left unrestrained. Means for cinching the tail portion of the first flexible member to the first end of the first flexible member are provided for creating an axially aligned support between the first flexible member and the second flexible member.
More specifically, the tail portion on the first flexible member on the first pipe section is stretched across the joint and then threaded between the second flexible member which has been looped around the second pipe section and the second pipe section, brought back across the joint, and then attached by means for cinching the tail portion of the first flexible member to the first end of the first flexible member. The same kind of axially aligned connection is also made between the tail of the second member on the second pipe to the first flexible member on the first pipe. Preferably, at least two flexible members are used and the axially aligned connections are spaced apart around said joint to increase stability and strength of the joint. It is contemplated that additional flexible members, also spaced apart, may be added for additional support.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated from the following description. The description makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which are provided for illustration of the preferred embodiment. However, such embodiment does not represent the full scope of the invention. The subject matter which the inventor does regard as his invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of this specification.